Anybody here ever had to get a medical waiver or special issue medical? Gump mentioned his. Does it involve a long hard battle or does it just depend on the medical condition involved?

I have a special issuance. Mine is a case that can be interpreted either in favor of a standard medical cert or special issuance and the Alaska region flight surgeon determined I need the SI. I have to have a medical exam every two years but must provide blood work to the issuing doctor or the FAA in the off year. My cert is re-issued every year after the exam or submission of my blood work.

I have a special issuance. Took 4 months. The exam started last January and I got the issuance in April. Fall before last, I signed up for the AOPA plan and they helped winnow the medical records. I went to the AME for a consult to make sure he was getting what he thought was needed. Two months after the exam was sent in, the FAA requested a neuropathy assessment. Faxed that back in two days but it seemed my case got put back to the beginning of the line.

The issuance expires at the end of this month and the FAA suggested I send in fresh lab results to Oklahoma the beginning of December. I again consulted with AOPA and they advised I should also have my doctor's assessment of the lab results. Hopefully I will get my issuance before the month is out.

My buddy who flies with me also flies with a special issuance. He didn't have to send his results to Oklahoma but down to Southern California and he got his at the end of the month just before his issuance expired.

You want to make sure you haven't taken any drugs the FAA doesn't like for at least 3 months before applying (you can find a list on the AOPA web site).

Good luck

The first thing I'd do is find a SENIOR AME to take your case to. I think most AMEs have their heart in the right place, but Senior AMEs have a little more latitude from the FAA Aeromedical branch. Also, they've generally handled more cases, so have more experience with the FAA.

Then, follow their instructions to the letter.

MTV

mtv wrote:The first thing I'd do is find a SENIOR AME to take your case to. I think most AMEs have their heart in the right place, but Senior AMEs have a little more latitude from the FAA Aeromedical branch. Also, they've generally handled more cases, so have more experience with the FAA.

THAT is the best advice you can get. Having been bloodied from that battle, if you have an issue that's going to be any kind of problem at all, go find some older airline guys and find out who their Senior AME is. Nothing against the local doc doing flight physicals, but they just don't know. And once they start a paper trail on you, it is hell to undo it and gets things run through Oak City without a snag.

Gump

Upon getting the expected medical diagnosis in hand, I have been instructed by AOPA to declare myself grounded and begin the medical waiver process. They say better to approach the FAA with disqualification by self certification and taking appropriate action instead of continuing flying till my next medical in September, only to fail then because of a known medical condition. This way you are at least on the record demonstrating good judgement. On that same note I also enrolled in AOPA's member services for their expanded medical program to help with the paper hoops I will jump thru.

AOPA, of course, makes no recommendations as to Senior AME's or otherwise, that type info only comes from flying the internet with the right crowd.

I have a couple life long friends who are professional pilots that can steer me to a Senior AME.
Thanks.

Try this search site for a doc. Another thing to consider.... If you think your potential for continued pilot medical status is not good, you may not want to start the process. Once denied a medical cert you can't participate in sport pilot. If you choose not to pursue another medical you can participate as long as you determine you're healthy enough to fly. Once you enter the SI process you can't turn back. Another strategy may be to discuss your issues with a doctor off the record. That is, don't initiate the conversation as part of a pilot medical exam. That would allow you to explore your issues without direct involvement in the aviation medical process. Good luck.

http://flightphysical.com/search/searchc1.htm

stewartb wrote:Try this search site for a doc. Another thing to consider.... If you think your potential for continued pilot medical status is not good, you may not want to start the process. Once denied a medical cert you can't participate in sport pilot. If you choose not to pursue another medical you can participate as long as you determine you're healthy enough to fly. Once you enter the SI process you can't turn back. Think about it. Good luck.

http://flightphysical.com/search/searchc1.htm

In talking with the AOPA I specifically asked if I followed their recommendation and began the waiver process and declared myself grounded during this time for medical reasons, does it have the same effect as failing a medical since in both instances you are grounded for medical reasons? Their answer is that it is not the same as having failed a medical. Up to the point of walking in to my next medical and failing it, I have not yet failed a medical and so my medical certificate will remain in good standing till it expires. If I cannot improve or treat my condition to the satisfaction of the FAA and get the medical waiver, according to AOPA, I still have the option of just letting my current medical expire by not going in to take the next exam or by not completing it if it appeared I would fail a section. AOPA assures me pursuing a waiver and self-grounding BEFORE failing the medical will not exclude me from the sport pilot license.

I have put so much into building my own plane that I need to chase down every option to fly it but I would stop short of risking all my flying privileges (sport pilot) by failing the medical. I will let you all know how this exercise in brinksmanship turns out. If it turns out badly maybe AOPA will get me to sign up for their legal services also.

I feel for you. I've experienced a wide range of emotions and frustration as I've dealt with the SI process and my condition is ridiculously simple. Keep in mind that the process is defined in writing. Read up on it and learn how to play the game. In the end that's what works best.

Sincere best wishes.

SB

I'm hoping that AOPA & EAA will go full speed ahead with their much-talked-about "drivers license medical" proposal for recreational flying. Haven't heard too much about it since the initial announcement, all they said then was that it would be submitted to the FAA "early next year".
Well, it's early next year now-- what's going on with it, anybody heard anything? I did hear that some of the light sport manufacturers weren't happy to hear about it, as they feel it'll hurt their sales if it passes and a non-medical-holder has other flying options than sport pilot/LSA.

Yes, there is no question that an entire industry of lighter planes has been built on the back of the sport pilot license. It should make for an impressive lobby against the expansion of that very same rule into including larger aircraft. Nobody with an investment in present structure wants to see that investment be threatened by including an already existing fleet of aircraft under a new rule change. The long term problem with the rule as is, is that if sport licensed pilots tend to be loaded with an aging group who cannot get a medical to fly a larger plane then that entire sport pilot industries sales are actually based on a soon to be shrinking pilot base as the large numbers of boomers age even more and begin to stop flying, who will buy the sport pilot planes then? Many are just as expensive as larger aircraft. I am a boomer and I can see the inevitable decline in numbers of pilots to fly those planes.

The proposed rule by the AOPA and EAA is a natural extension of the original sport pilot rule but may suffer from a lack of support that the first rule enjoyed because of the threat to the existing sport flying industry. It will take a while to be reviewed and studied.. and studied.. and studied.

How many of you have ever been required to provide your medical cert to any authority? I've gotta think there are lots of guys flying full size airplanes without medicals. Probably quite a few flying them without any pilot certs. Several years ago when Lake Hood began requiring current medical certs as a condition for tie-down leases several "older" guys moved off State property and onto private property. I never heard anyone questioned about why they moved. I thought it was comical.

If you are insured you must have a valid medical, otherwise your flight was not legal and your company can deny coverage in a loss. They will ask to see a current medical, license and logs with last BFR and annual or condition inspection. They will look for a way out and you would be giving it to them. No medical, no insurance, unless my policy is somehow different than most.

dirtstrip wrote:Yes, there is no question that an entire industry of lighter planes has been built on the back of the sport pilot license. It should make for an impressive lobby against the expansion of that very same rule into including larger aircraft. Nobody with an investment in present structure wants to see that investment be threatened by including an already existing fleet of aircraft under a new rule change. The long term problem with the rule as is, is that if sport licensed pilots tend to be loaded with an aging group who cannot get a medical to fly a larger plane then that entire sport pilot industries sales are actually based on a soon to be shrinking pilot base as the large numbers of boomers age even more and begin to stop flying, who will buy the sport pilot planes then? Many are just as expensive as larger aircraft. I am a boomer and I can see the inevitable decline in numbers of pilots to fly those planes.

The proposed rule by the AOPA and EAA is a natural extension of the original sport pilot rule but may suffer from a lack of support that the first rule enjoyed because of the threat to the existing sport flying industry. It will take a while to be reviewed and studied.. and studied.. and studied.

Dirtstrip..I think you are right in your assesment...but I HOPE you are wrong.
It would be nice to fly my present aircraft off into the sunset.....BUT!

dirtstrip wrote:If you are insured you must have a valid medical, otherwise your flight was not legal and your company can deny coverage in a loss. They will ask to see a current medical, license and logs with last BFR and annual or condition inspection. They will look for a way out and you would be giving it to them. No medical, no insurance, unless my policy is somehow different than most.

I actually know of a couple of cases of pilots who had accidents, and claims against insurance, and the insurance companies paid the claims, even though both of these pilots had expired medicals. In both cases, medical issues had nothing to do with the accident/incident. Perhaps if the probable cause of the accident were medical incapacitation......

Now, I suspect it would be pretty difficult to get ANY kind of aircraft insurance right after one of those.

There seems to be this very common notion that insurance companies are doing everything in their power to deny a claim after an accident/incident, yet it seems REALLY hard to actually find anyone who has been refused payment of a legitimate claim, even in cases where the regulations were violated, etc. I guess pilots just love to hate insurance companies.

MTV

dirtstrip wrote:If you are insured you must have a valid medical, otherwise your flight was not legal and your company can deny coverage in a loss. .....

When talking to guys who are worried about losing their medical, I usually tell them to think positive: "look how much money you'll save on insurance". They usually don't see the humor in this.
I've known several people over the years who flew without a medical, either on a temporary basis or permanent. None was ever ramp checked. In fact, I think I personally know only one person who's ever been ramp checked. I think the thing to worry about with no medical is if something happens where someone is hurt or killed-- with no medical, I can see where there could be a charge of negligence.

mtv
My policy states it must be a legal flight. I asked the agent if this only means I am not insured if the purpose of the flight is illegal, such as drug running or something of that nature, but I was told that the plane itself must be legal and the pilot legal to fly it. Is this just my policy? I understand it to mean valid medical, annual/or condition inspection. The company is Chartis. I know they will ask for a current medical, pilot license, last BFR entry in log, last page of pilot log entries, and the page showing the last annual from the aircraft log book before approving the claim . I expect those would have to be in order with the "legal flight" statement in the policy or they could deny the claim. It could almost be one of those "exclusions" of coverage stated on some policies. Another exclusion is that I am the only approved pilot.

I don't say I hate insurance companies, I have the same level of respect for them as I do for the companies providing us with todays price of avgas. That doesn't go for agents or the guy pumping the gas but it does for companies.

As the thread pertains to medicals, I wonder then just what necessity is a medical certificate and if anyone here knows of refused coverage because of the lack of one.

I'm on a SI for type 2 diabetes. The process was pretty easy but what ever your condition,it has to be controlled to the satisfaction of the FAA or no medical. You probably already know if your condition can be controlled.

Cheers...Rob

Rob,
My condition can be controlled and I will get my medical renewed I'm sure. The AME said if the condition lasted for more than 4 hours she wanted to see me..
Again.

dirtstrip wrote:mtv
My policy states it must be a legal flight. I asked the agent if this only means I am not insured if the purpose of the flight is illegal, such as drug running or something of that nature, but I was told that the plane itself must be legal and the pilot legal to fly it. Is this just my policy? I understand it to mean valid medical, annual/or condition inspection. The company is Chartis. I know they will ask for a current medical, pilot license, last BFR entry in log, last page of pilot log entries, and the page showing the last annual from the aircraft log book before approving the claim . I expect those would have to be in order with the "legal flight" statement in the policy or they could deny the claim. It could almost be one of those "exclusions" of coverage stated on some policies. Another exclusion is that I am the only approved pilot.

I don't say I hate insurance companies, I have the same level of respect for them as I do for the companies providing us with todays price of avgas. That doesn't go for agents or the guy pumping the gas but it does for companies.

As the thread pertains to medicals, I wonder then just what necessity is a medical certificate and if anyone here knows of refused coverage because of the lack of one.

The guys I mentioned had the same or similar verbiage in their policies that you describe. The insurance companies paid the loss.

I agree that the bigger issue might be if a medical incapacitation DID occur, and someone else got hurt. I'm sure the law suits would fly in such a case.

MTV